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“You should have told him I wasn’t your date,” he argued while setting his Louis Vuitton travel bag on the couch.
I shoved my hands in the pocket of my TU hoodie and counted to five. “He didn’t care. Gavin oozes confidence, whether it’s deserved or not.”
Stephen sighed wistfully. “I love a man who knows what he wants.”
“Sure, but in this case, he wants me. Not just sex. Me.”
“Even better. I was already on Team Gavin, and you’re not changing my mind. Did you talk to him about Kayleigh?” He looked at me expectantly, but I shook my head.
“I haven’t had the chance.”
With a sharp laugh, Stephen flopped on the couch. “I never thought I’d see the day Evangeline Adams was afraid of something.”
I kicked his ankle with the toe of my boot. “Don’t get comfortable. We have to leave in a couple of minutes.”
Stephen stretched his arms along the back of the cushions and tilted his head to stare at me. “You can’t distract me by changing the subject. I know you.”
The echo of Gavin’s words earlier made my voice sharper than normal. “It’s not a distraction, and I’m not afraid of asking him.”
“Who gave you the information about Kayleigh?”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Kayleigh did.”
He stood and grabbed his leather jacket from the edge of the couch. “She was drunk,andshe exonerated Gavin. Who told you he was the one involved?”
I marched to the front door and held it open, knowing Stephen liked to take his time leaving. “A girl who worked at Wildcat. She was more than happy to tell me all about the drama.”
“Did you fact check her or were you more than happy to take everything she said at face value?”
The truth was I didn’t question a single thing she said. I’d already written Gavin off as an asshole, so I wasn’t surprised he’d fuck with Kayleigh. Now, though, it seemed far-fetched. I seemed to remember hearing my informant didn’t last long working at Wildcat. Even more interesting, she’d namedGavin, not Danny, as the culprit.
Stephen let me stew over his question as we drove to the arena, and I didn’t like the direction my thoughts were taking me. Danny was the one who officially worked at Wildcat. Gavin working his brother’s shifts might be an open secret, but why would the girl I’d talked to be willing to blow their cover?
A couple of puck bunnies with numbers painted on their faces smiled at Stephen as we walked up to the arena, but he barely acknowledged them. “What’s Gavin’s jersey number?”
I frowned at him. “Fourteen. Why?”
He nodded at the girls, now glaring at me. “You could show your support for him.”
“Not interested. I have to dress out for the football game tomorrow. It’s nice coming here as a part of the crowd for once.”
“Do you know all their jersey numbers?” he asked softly, shifting his eyes toward another group of girls wearing TU hockey apparel decorated with a variety of numbers.
I didn’t. I only knew Gavin’s because the last time I’d come to a game, I couldn’t stop watching him.
“Hmm, nothing to say?” Stephen teased. “It’s okay. I think I know the answer.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, shoving him with my shoulder.
He didn’t budge, but he did clear the path for us to the same seats I’d had before. Stephen was tall and lanky, built like a swimmer, and he knew he looked good. We got several overt stares as we settled next to the TU bench again, but he was focused on the guys warming up on the ice.
Like last time, they skated in circles shooting pucks at the goal. I regularly did complicated acrobatic stunts high in the air, but I was impressed by the ease with which the hockey players moved around the pucks and each other.
I waved and smiled at the guys as they skated past the glass, tucking my head onto Stephen’s shoulder. Unlike the last time, Gavin didn’t look ready to jump through the glass and murder my date, which may or may not have had to do with the lack of his brother causing problems.
Stephen, knowing his role, pressed a kiss to the side of my head and grinned at my roommates. “What’s the latest with Carl? And can I say again how weird it is that you call him by his first name?”
I sniffed. “He hasn’t earned a title of respect.”
